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While working for the Rapture Tribune, Stanley Poole became associated with Augustus Sinclair, who began paying Stanley not to expose and report on any of Sinclair Solutions' unscrupulous secrets. Sinclair offered Stanley a job that would "change history",[1] which involved providing Andrew Ryan with proof that Sofia Lamb's ideology was a dangerous political movement needing to be suppressed. Ryan wanted Lamb's activities in Dionysus Park exposed, so that Lamb could be taken out of the picture.

Sinclair used Stanley to infiltrate Lamb's supporters inside the park.[2] Stanley convinced Simon Wales, one of Lamb's higher-ranked members, that the Rapture Tribune was suppressing his real journalism about Rapture. Even Lamb seemed to be convinced that he genuinely wanted to join.[3] While in "The Family", Stanley was under intense pressure from Ryan's operatives (who wanted immediate results), and from young Eleanor Lamb, who became suspicious of him.[4] Stanley anonymously reported Sofia Lamb's plots to take control of Rapture, resulting in her detention at Persephone.[5]

Around the same time, a deep sea diver from the surface accidentally discovered and entered Rapture.[6] This man was accepted into the city and became something of a celebrity for his heroics, gaining the nickname "Johnny Topside" in articles in the Rapture Tribune, and Stanley's respect. Andrew Ryan did not trust the visitor's story, and was convinced the explorer must be a government agent sent to spy on Rapture. The man eventually was incarcerated at Persephone Penal Colony.

A ghostly memory of Stanley with Eleanor.

After Lamb's disappearance, Stanley was put in charge of Dionysus Park. He used his new privileges to throw wild parties at Lamb's expense. When Eleanor threatened Stanley with telling her mother what he was doing, Stanley sold Eleanor to a Little Sister's Orphanage, not knowing her fate was to become a Little Sister. Then came word that Lamb had escaped her detention. Fearing members of the Rapture Family would tell Sofia Lamb of his conduct in Dionysus on her return from prison, Stanley exploited a dangerous flaw in Dionysus Park's construction,[7] flooding the park and killing all witnesses to his misdeeds.[8]

After Andrew Ryan was killed, and Lamb began her rise to power, Stanley found himself imprisoned within his lie and had no choice but to work for Lamb and the Rapture Family.

After Subject Delta drains Dionysus Park to save Sinclair, the Little Sisters begin exploring the park to collect ADAM for Sofia Lamb. Stanley Poole, who has locked himself in the control booth of the Atlantic Express station, does not want this, as the ADAM contains memories from the corpses there. If Lamb obtains the ADAM, he fears the secret of his betrayals will be revealed. By blocking the train, Stanley forces Delta to prevent the Little Sisters from gathering ADAM. Delta cannot advance towards Eleanor until he completes this task.

Stanley cowers in fear from Delta.

With Eleanor's telepathic help, Delta views the memories within the gathered ADAM, seeing the events as described above. Once all the Little Sisters are gone, Stanley unlocks the train path so Delta can proceed. Delta and Stanley discover, via Lamb's radio transmission, that Sofia Lamb knew of Stanley's actions all along. She says she had forgiven him, since his actions in having Eleanor turned into a Little Sister became a blessing in disguise for Lamb's grand utopian scheme. Because he helped Delta, Poole interfered with Sofia's plans for Eleanor. Lamb tells Delta that Stanley was the one who turned in Johnny Topside to Ryan. Opening the control booth door, Sofia gives Delta the option to have his revenge, and it is left up to the player whether or not to kill Stanley. The result of this decision will have an impact on the game's ending.

When Subject Delta takes control of a Little Sister later in the Cell Blocks of Outer Persephone, he sees a statue depicting the way he treated Stanley Poole. If Delta has spared Stanley Poole, the latter will be kneeling before Delta, who in turn will be holding his hand in a show of mercy. If Delta took revenge upon Stanley, Delta will appear to be choking him with one hand.

In one of the original concepts for Stanley, he would have worn a Hawaiian shirt, as stated in this quote by Colin Fix, Senior Character Concept Artist, 2K Marin, from the Deco Devolution artbook: "We had some challenges with the BioShock 2 characters, especially with appropriate costumes. We would do a lot of research but sometimes things wouldn't quite fit, like Dermot had an earlier version of Stanley in a swanky Hawaiian shirt that was in the time period, but it felt out of place in Rapture. It felt really modern even though it wasn't."

Stanley is currently the only non-playable character seen injecting an ADAM Hypo.

If the player chooses to kill Stanley, and uses Winter Blast to do so, Stanley will shatter instantly, without the use of a weapon or melee attack, and will leave behind a Lockbox. A single sting from Insect Swarm will kill him. Even being hit with Hypnotize will kill Stanley.